San Francisco has a little more soul now that the highly anticipated “Soul Train Musical” has debuted at the city’s Conservator Theater.
Titled “Hippest Trip — The Soul Train Musical,” the show kicked off its preview performances on August 27.
The official opening night for the musical is September 6.
The musical follows the launch of the hit TV show “Soul Train” by DJ Don Cornelius back in 1971.
“Soul Train” was broadcast nationally from 1971 to 2006, making it one of the longest-running syndicated programs in American TV history.<“Hippest Trip — The Soul Train Musical” features Angela Birchett as Delores Cornelius, Quentin Earl Darrington as Don Cornelius, Kayla Davion as Jody Watley, Sidney DuPont as Tony Cornelius, Cameron Hah as Cheryl Song, Amber Iman as Pam Brown, Richard James as Tyrone Proctor, Jaquez Jeffrey as Daniel, Alain “Hurrikane” Lauture as Don Campbellock, Mayte Natalio as Rosie Perez, and Charlene “Chi-Chi” Smith as Damita Jo.
Kamilah Forbes is directing the musical, Camille A. Brown is serving as choreographer, and the musical’s book is by Dominique Morisseau.
The show’s producing team includes Matthew Weaver, Jeffrey Tick, and Richard Gay. And executive producers on the project include Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Tony Cornelius (son to Don), Anthony E. Zuiker, Shawn Gee, and Devin Keudell. Nick Stern and J. Todd Harris are co-producing.
Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, Morisseau revealed that watching the 2010 documentary “Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America” exposed her to several details of Cornelius’ story she didn’t know.
“I never knew Don Cornelius owned the rights to his own show,” she said. “It’s kind of like when Ray Charles owned his own catalog. You’re like, ‘What? In the era you came up in? How did you get that?’”
“Hippest Trip — The Soul Train Musical” will run through October 8, with the play aiming for a future debut on Broadway.